St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-27
The County superintendent
Of Public Schools in the
State of Minnesota
Held Their Annual Conven-
tion in the Senate Cham
Der at the Capitol.
The President Delivers His
Annual Address Which is
Lengthy and Sensible.
He Claims a Superintendent
Can Consistently Be a
First-Class Politician.

The annual convention of county su-
perintendents of schools of. Minnesota
met in the senate chamber at the capitol
last evening. The meeting was called
to order by President sherry, county
superintendent of Dodge county, after
which the roll call was proceeded with
by counties, which showed the following
superintendent to be present:
THOSE PRESENT:
Anoka, S. G. Page; Becker, F. B. Chaplin
Chippewa, o. E. Saunders; Chisago, V. d.
Dakota, C. L. Greenough; Dodge, A. NJ
sherry; Douglass, E. T. CARROLL Fillmore,
Miss Emma Allen; Goodhue, A. e. Engstrom;
Hennepin, W. j. Warren; Hous
ton, James Brady; jackson, L. F.
Sueur, H. E. Gibbon: Lincoln, O. W. Sites;
Lyon. L. A. Grigg; Mcleod, L. P Harring
ton: Marshall, j. P. Mattson. Mower, C. d.
Belden; Olmsted, j. II. Chapman;
P P6f E. Tai Ei GSG!ss Ramsey s. f f. g.
Blake; Redwood, S. J. Race; Rice, S. B.
Wilson; Stearns, L. J. Rocholl; Steele, j. u.
Brown; Stevens, William C. Bricknell: Todd,
W. M. Barber; Wadena, Mrs. Ida Rice; Wa,
Wilkin. David MeCauley; winona,
Alvin Bradley; Wright. Simon Muffiey.
In addition to these there were many
local principals and superintendent in
attendance at the meeting. The presi-
dents annual address was then de-
livered, Supt. Sherry taking for his
subject, The County superintendent
Shall He Be an Educator or a Poll
tician." He spoke as follows:
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS.
In this year OF political quietude, it
has seemed we'll to look at some of the
relations of the county superintendent
to his constituency, with special refer
ence to his tenure of Office and the pro-
cess of selection. l use the term con-
stltuency in its usual sense. The super
He stands towards the people
in the same relation that
any other executive officer holds, and
unless we indulge in radical distrust
of these same people we should not de-
sire to change that relation. If we are
smitten with the desire to escape from
popular majorities know of but one
uge-bureaucracy. We: may seek
be leeted by the people in more
primary way, or to be appointed by
somebody else elected in a larger way.
In government by the people
responsibility is our only safety. If
then we are not safe, if we cannot trust
ourselves, if the greater number are not
honest enough to protect the rights of all,
or intelligent enough to distinguish good
from the bad, it matters little in which
way we or any other body of men are
chosen. The stream of moral power
will no more rise above its source than
Will the physical stream. In peculiar
sense is this Office of county Superin-
tendent touch-stOne of public honesty
and purity Of judgment. If
elections as whole are so
bad, so intricate, so altogether I'M
explainable that no right feeling
man wants his wife or sweetheart to
know too much about them, especially
to have her express all opinion in a con-
crete form, lest she should vote him
down, then it is possible she may find
a chance to begin by practicing on this
same office and kindred offices of the
same nature. Since we are to be elected
or defeated by popular vote, by the
usual party methods, l may as well
come back to this point-the relation
of the superintendent to parties and to
party politics.
Anywhere and at all times the man
who has convictions of right and duty
must be ready to take the risks attend
ing their expression. We have no spe-
cial patent of exemption from this law.
There is clearly nothing in the nature
of his office; the final source of power is
the people. 1t is only a question
whether we take an election at first
hands, or at second, or third hands.
Whether the power of the ballot is felt
direct, or whether it is Sluiced off
through boards or commissions and
all the more dangerous because the
more difficult to trace.
POLITICS NOT BARRED.
l do not suppose for a moment we are
not to be politicians" in the better
sense of that term. This would be to
insult our manhood. All that an Amer
lean citizen may rightly do, we may do.
All that citizen of free government
should do we must do. No higher func-
ton pertains to the idea of an educator
than this. In doing these things we
may avOw ourselves as Republicans,
Democrats. PrOhibitioniStS,o or all three if
in collecting our opinions we find no
party big enough to hold us. And if
we reach the conclusion that none are
good enough to hold us in whole, then
we may exercise the full prerOgatiVe of
an American and turn MugWump. and
scratch tickets as other Americans do.
Further than this, since the caucus rules
the convention and the convention rules
the party, sometimes, we may seek nOm-
nations from any party with which we
have honest and honorable relations by
such means as may bear the full light of
perfect publicity.
As of our teachers we ask only,
"Are they competent, are they moral,
are they devoted and sympathetic?" so
have we right to demand that we be
examined in the same way.
Bound by thousand ties of affection
and interest to the pupils of our schools,
the superintendent should always feel
as free as air to do what seems right
and best, regretting only that God has
given him only feeble powers for the
work.
Three-minute talks we're then de-
livered by Supt. Kiehle and Supts.
Page, of AnOka; Chaplin, of Becker;
Saunders, of Chippewa; Saffley, of
Cottonwood; Sherry, of Dodge. and
Carroll, of Douglass. The meeting
then adjourned until o'clock this
morning. The remainder of the ses-
sion will be held in the High school
building.
A Heartless Mother.